Nigeria 0 The Gambia 1 : Heartbreak for Flying Eagles as Abdullahi misses late penalty 

Nigeria's Flying Eagles on Monday evening failed to get past The Gambia in their semifinals game at the Cairo International Stadium as they suffered a 1-0 defeat to miss the chance to gun for an 8th African Cup of Nations title at the U-20 category.

Ladan Bosso’s team had reached the 'last four' of the tournament after the win over Uganda in the quarterfinals. 

The Eagles conceded in the eighth minute after Onuche Ogbelu's mislaid pass was intercepted and scored by Adama Bojang.

The win for Gambia was a well deserved revenge for the winners who lost to the Nigerians in the same stage 16 years ago. 

The Flying Eagles' chances to equalise were at a premium but Ahmed Abdullahi failed to score from the penalty spot in the closing minutes of the second half. 

The striker who came off the bench was fouled inside the six-yard box and a penalty was not awarded initially.

The passage of play was reviewed by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) which handed the Flying Eagles a chance to score but the ball came off the foot of the post. 

The Flying  Eagles will face Tunisia in the third place playoff on March 10 while The Gambia face Senegal in the final the following day at the Cairo International Stadium. 

All four teams will represent Africa at the 2023 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Indonesia. 

Izuchukwu Michael
 

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